Bronchial veins

Bronchial veins - Definition

These are tiny vessels that act as counterparts to bronchial arteries. They have also been given the names:

Bronchial venous tree

Venae bronchiales (Latin)

Bronchial veins - Function

These vessels take blood back from the larger bronchi and other structures at the lung base to the azygos vein and the accessory hemiazygos vein or the left superior intercostal vein. However, they transport less than 13% of the blood for the bronchial arteries. The pulmonary veins return the rest of the blood back to the heart.

Bronchial veins - Pictures

The images here reveal the location and structure of these veins in the human body.